1. Field
The present invention relates to a grain sweep for use on a floor comprising an elongated frame, said frame comprising an elongated hood comprising a top panel and first and second side walls, a first and a second wheel rotatably attached to said elongated frame adjacent a first and a second end of said elongated frame, respectively, a drive means passing about said first and second wheels, and a plurality of spaced apart paddles arranged on said drive means.
2. Description of the Related Art
For moving bulk granules substances such as for instance wheat, oats, rye, barley, shelled or ground corn, conveyors are generally used. Storage means for such substances could for example be a silo or a storage bin. When storage means are emptied, first gravity feeds the granules into an outlet opening formed in the centre of the storage mean, leaving a substantial residue forming an inverted cone outward from the opening. Sweep means are used to convey this residue to the opening, originally human, today more often a sweep conveyor, which is generally radially disposed and movable about the opening to sweep the granules towards the opening. Conventionally this conveyor is an auger.
An alternative type of conveyor is a so called bin paddle sweep. This type of conveyor normally includes an elongated frame, a first sprocket at one end of the frame and a second sprocket at the other end of the frame, an endless chain extending between the first and the second sprockets, a plurality of spaced apart paddles attached to the chain, and a motor for causing the chain to rotate whereby the paddles will drag or sweep grain to the well in the floor of the grain bin. Since the conveyors are relatively long there might be a problem with the paddles not travelling in the intended path. Further, these conveyors generally also have a hood with a top panel and side walls. The side wall facing the grain to be conveyed does not reach down to the floor of the bin, whereas the other as far as possible goes all the way down. However, not all of the grain will be conveyed since some will pass the paddles and under the side wall reaching the closest to the floor.